NEWS BRIEFS

DTI warns public vs imitation products

BAGUIO CITY – The Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned the public against imitation products.

Lawyer Sam Gallardo, chief of the Consumer Protection Group of DTI urged consumers to file complaints against sellers of imitated products.

            “Imitation is a violation of the Intellectual Property Law. Ang primary complainant dapat [sa mga cases ng imitation] is yung may-ari ng intellectual property. Pero pwede ding mag-reklamo ang mga consumer kapag binentahan sila ng product na ang pagkaka-present ay original, pero imitation pala,” Gallardo said in a forum at the Philippine Information Agency last Tuesday.

            Gallardo said that there are many new products in the market that do not comply with DTI’s product standards. The public is encouraged to help DTI take action against imitated products by filing complaints. “[Consumers] should file a complaint so that DTI would be made aware of the issue,” Gallardo said. – Zarena Amado

2 dead in Urdaneta Highway accident

URDANETA CITY-- Myra Eugenio, 50, was driving a motorcycle with her daughter Mariel, 14, when they were hit by a closed van along MacArthur Highway in Barangay Pinmaludpod in this city on July 1. Both died– Eva Visperas    

450 new PRO3 cops sworn in

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — A total of 450 new police recruits of the Police Regional Office 3 were sworn in Tuesday here at parade grounds.

Chief Supt. Aaron N. Aquino, PRO3 acting regional director, administered the oath of office of the recruits following their presentation by Senior Supt. Enrico Vargas, acting chief of the Regional Police Personnel and Human Resource Development Division.

Aquino said of the 450 new police recruits, who have earned the rank of Police Officer 1 (PO1), comprise of 382 men and 68 women.

The new police personnel were chosen after a stringent screening process conducted by the Regional Screening Committee on Recruitment headed by headed by Chief Supt. Benjamin Hulipa, PRO3 Deputy Regional Director for Administration.

After their oath-taking, the new police recruits will  undergo one-year training at the Regional Training School III in Magalang, Pampanga.

“You now officially belong to the special breed of men and women in the noble profession of law enforcement,” Aquino said. -- Franco G. Regala and Mar T. Supnad

P’sinan mayor takes oath before Binay

BINMALEY, Pangasinan – The mayor of this town was sworn in by Vice President Jejomar Binay before he bowed out of office Friday.

 Binmaley Mayor Simplicio Rosario said residents here gave Binay “a heartwarming goodbye.”

Rosario is a close ally of Binay and his staunchest political supporter in Pangasinan. The town signed a sisterhood agreement with Makati City when Binay was mayor.

All local candidates here who ran under Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance won.

However, Binay placed only second to Sen. Grace Poe in the presidential elections here. – Eva Visperas         

Baguio Rep shares plans with RDC

BAGUIO CITY -- Congressman-elect Marquez Go recently met the Regional Development Council Cordillera to share his plans and programs and to familiarize himself with regional situation.

Go discussed with RDC members led by NEDA regional director Milagros Rimando, RDC vice chairperson, his vision of a comprehensive, modest but organized development for Baguio City.

He said he will support the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) agenda of the RDC by pushing for the creation of the BLISTT Development Authority.

He said this will decongest Baguio City and promote development of BLISTT municipalities.

Go also sought suggestions on legislative measures he may pursue during his term.

Rimando briefed Go about the RDC’s plan to identify alternative sites for the expansion of the Philippine Export Processing Zone presently located in the city. She also informed that the RDC is pushing for an operational airport in Baguio City.

Go assured his support to the RDC and urged thorough study on the Loakan Airport. -- Joseph B. Zambrano

Mt. Province has stable rice supply

BONTOC, Mountain Province – This province has stable supply of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA), commercial rice and local production from the area.

NFA provincial office’s data showed  the province consumes an average of 1,460 bags of rice daily or more than 500,000 bags annually.

Elmer Enaje, NFA provincial economist, said their office can provide the monthly allocation of 43,000 bags of rice as food security for the province, in addition to the continuous inflow of commercial rice from Regions 1 and 2.

He said the rice supply stored in warehouses in Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya provinces can be hauled to the province to replenish the Bontoc warehouse anytime there is a shortage.

NFA data showed that of the total rice consumption of the province, about 50 percent is composed of commercial rice, and 13 percent NFA rice, while the remaining 37 percent comes from local production.

Lightning bolt kills farmer

MARCOS, Ilocos Norte --  A farmer died after being struck by lightning in here Barangay Tabucbuc on July 1.

Vicente Juan was on his way to herd his cattle into his farm at around 3 p.m. when the incident occurred, said Chief Inspector Dexter Corpuz, Ilocos Norte police spokesman. – Raymund Catindig    

Pangasinan police chief named

LINGAYEN Pangasinan – The Pangasinan police has a new officer-in-charge.

Senior Supt. Edgar Alan Okubo turned over the post to Senior Supt. Ronald Lee in simple ceremonies Monday.

Senior Supt. Reynaldo Biay, acting Pangasinan deputy police director, presided turnover ceremony. – Eva Visperas 

Benguet gets Japan-funded projects

BUGUIAS, Benguet -- The Japanese embassy turned over two projects in this province Tuesday.

First Secretary Kenji Terada witnessed the turnover ceremony of a biodegradable waste composting facility in Buguias and a food-processing center in the capital town of La Trinidad.

The projects, the construction of which started last year and 2011, respectively, are part of Japan’s Official Development Assistance under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.

Japan selected Benguet as the recipient of the projects in view of the province’s poor distribution network, which affects the quality of its products.

“The Japanese government will continue to support the country’s agricultural system through the improvement of productivity, provision of value-adding activities and development of marketing and distribution channels,” the embassy said.  

DILG awards P4-M  BuB evacuation facility project

TABUK CITY -- Kalinga Interior and Local Government chief Mayer Max G. Adong handed P4, 000, 000 check  June 20 to the Rizal town government represented by Vice Mayor Renato Vicente covering the first tranche for the construction of evacuation facility funded under the 2016 Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) project identified by the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT).

The evacuation facility provides temporary shelter for calamity and disaster victims. It is a one-unit building with a floor area of 263 square meters located at Liwan West, Rizal, Kalinga.

Six barangays of the municipality were susceptible to flooding and the presence of fault makes the community more vulnerable. Presently, the  Rizal Sports Center and some schools are temporarily used as an evacuation center during calamities. To best cater to the needs of the people, the LPRAT proposed to construct an evacuation center near the Municipal Hall which may also be used for trainings and seminars for disasters and other activities in the municipality.

The LPRAT is composed of representatives from local and national government, and civil society organizations chaired by the mayor with a CSO rep as co-chair.

PCW, COA ink deal to improve audit process

Another milestone in the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) is underway with the recent collaboration between the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) on knowledge-sharing and capability development program on mainstreaming gender and development (GAD) concerns in COA and other government agencies.

 Section 36 of Republic Act No. 9710 or the MCW mandates COA to conduct an annual audit on the use of the GAD budget as part of the institutional mechanism to implement the law. This is consistent with COA’s constitutionally-vested power, authority, and duty to examine, audit, and settle all accounts pertaining to the revenue, receipts of, and expenditures or uses of funds and property of all agencies of the government. The audit of GAD fund is intended to determine the judicious use of the GAD budget in addressing gender issues.

 Under memorandum of understanding between PCW and COA to be implemented from June-December 2016, COA auditors will be trained on national and local GAD Planning, Budgeting, and Reporting processes. COA on the other hand will provide clarifications on the GAD Funds Audit Guidelines during PCW organized capacity development sessions.

Bangued West Central School starts Innammuyo program            

BANGUED, Abra-- Bangued West Central School (BWCS) in this capital town has started Innammuyo program of the Department of Education – Abra Division Office.

The Innammuyo is a localized version of Brigada Eskwela, a national program of the DepEd in observance of the Annual School Maintenance Week before the opening of classes.

The BWCS is the center of all activities of the Division Office of DepEd-Abra. It is host-venue for conferences, trainings and seminars, and other activities, Jan Nowel Pena, the Division’s Senior Program Specialist for Social Mobilization and Networking said.

For this year, Brigada was scheduled last week, but implemented at BWCS a week earlier to give way for the regional kick-off ceremony of the Brigada Eskwela hosted by Pulot National High School in Lagayan.

The BWCS served as a model of the concerted efforts and combined resources of various stakeholders composed of the police and army, national government agencies, the local and national media, the business sector, parents-teachers associations and the community.

They did not  only do  some face-lifting tasks like gardening and cleaning of the surroundings; they went as far as doing a complete make-over by painting the roofings and walls of the Gabaldon-type building and making a sand-bed children’s playground  during the week-long activity.

The Innammuyo at the BWCS was successfully carried out under the direct supervision of Mr. Peter Paganao in the absence of their principal who at the time was on training in Baguio City.

Division Schools Superintendent Ronald Castillo gave certificate of appreciation to the stakeholders of BWCS for their invaluable contribution and participation in the successful implementation of the first Innammuyo 2016.

The BWCS served as the assembly area and take-off point of the motorcade that went around Bangued Town Proper and up to Pulot National High School in Brgy. Pulot, Lagayan during the Brigada Eskwela 2016 regional launching last May 27. -- Maria Teresa B. Benas

14 Ifugao families attend adolescent sexuality training

ALFONSO LISTA, Ifugao -- Fourteen Ifugao families were trained on reproductive health recently promote the total well- being of children and parents.

The three-day seminar held in Ramon, Isabela province was spearheaded by the Provincial Sustainable and Youth Development Division in coordination with government agencies.

Families from Alfonso Lista, Banaue and Lagawe underwent the seminar-workshop on Adolescent Sexuality and Reproductive Health (ASRH) and Learning Package for Parent Education of Adolescent Health and Development which highlights the role of parents as the primary source of accurate and sound information on adolescent health and development including ASRH.

Discussed topics for parents are understanding self and sexuality,  maternal care, child health and nutrition, life skills, confronting threats and risk of the adolescent, challenges and threats to a family, effective parenting, communicating with adolescents and ways to get along with adolescents and protecting adolescents.

The children, on the other hand, were  lectured on understanding three adolescent self (self-awareness), adolescent sexuality and gender, understanding fertility awareness, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, love and manifestation, the language of love, different types of loving relationship, consequences of early sexual activities, understanding contraception, sexually transmitted diseases (HIV-AIDS) and fighting vulnerabilities through life skills.

Participant Emiliano Ballitoc Sr. of Alfonso Lista said that he is indeed thankful he was invited to the activity.  “Agyamannak unay iti daytoy nga training nga naited kanyami. Adu ti nasiyaat nga banag nga naadal mi a kas amma ken nu kasano nga mapatalgedan ti pamilya.”

Crisanta Gumiran also shared  that in one of the sessions, her daughter cried and asked for forgiveness after realizing her misdeeds.

Miriam Baguidudol of the PPSD said that they will expect better relationship between husbands and wives, parents and their adolescents.

 “The parents are now equipped with the correct and sound information about human sexuality and reproductive health so that they can better communicate with their adolescents on the danger of their engaging in risky behaviors such as early sexual involvement and vices that will affect their future,” she said. -- With report from Lorena Dulnuan 

DOH CAR gives equipment to health facilities in Abra

BANGUED, Abra -- The Department of Health- Cordillera regional office   distributed Tamang Serbisyo para sa Kalusugan ng Pamilya (TSeKaP) packages to the rural health units(RHUs) and barangay health centers in all 27 municipalities here on Friday.

TSeKaP Equipment package contains blood pressure apparatus, stethoscope, glucometer for measurement of blood sugar, non-contact thermometers, nebulizers for asthma relief and dressing kit with scissors, clamp, needle holder, kidney basin and others.

The package will equip RHUs to address common health problems in the community like hypertension, diabetes and asthma, said DOH CAR Assistant Director Dr. Amelita M. Pangilinan who delivered the equipment.

It is also part of DOH’s efforts in partnership with LGUs and communities to provide quality health service to the community and enhance service delivery of health centers.  It will also help RHUs in their Phil Health accreditation, she said.

Dolores town Mayor JR Seares extended his gratitude to DOH CAR as he received the equipment together with Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Allen Brix Bachiller in behalf of all LGUs. -- Ginalyn B. Brioso